William Swain (pioneer)

William Swain (15 November 1821-16 August 1904) was an American pioneer from Youngstown, New York who adventured through the American West during the Gold Rush of 1848.

Biography
William Swain was born in Youngstown, New York in 1821, and he lived a simple life as a farmer; however, he was well-educated, reading Shakespeare and Wordsworth and marrying a teacher, Sabrina. In May 1848, he left his family to take part in the Gold Rush in California, leaving behind his wife, his young daughter Eliza, and his brother George (who had encouraged him to embark on his adventure). On 12 April 1849, he took passage for Detroit on the steamer Arrow, and he then steamed on to Chicago, St. Louis, and to Independence in Missouri on 6 May 1849. He joined a Forty-Niner company from Marshall, Michigan, the "Wolverine Rangers", as they planned to travel along the Great Platte, just a few of the 30,000 people who left Independence and St. Joseph on the wagon trail to California. Swain kept a journal during his adventures, and, for 30 days, the Forty-Niners crossed the prairies of Kansas and Nebraska. On 13 June, Swain and his companions reached Fort Kearny on the Platte River, and, by early July, they reached Fort Laramie in Wyoming, heading 700 miles out from Missouri, and facing 250 more before they could reach South Pass in the Rockies and 1,000 more before they could reach the gold fields. They had trouble when their oxen died in large numbers from drinking alkaline water, but, on 31 July, the party crossed the South Pass. Swain and his party took hazardous shortcuts, reaching Lassen's Cutoff in the Sierra Nevada. On 21 September, Swain and the Wolverine Rangers joined 10,000 gold seekers in heading down the cutoff, but they had to struggle across the searing Black Rock Desert, travelling at night to save their oxen. They then faced the mountains and roads of mud and boulders, and the party was forced to split up into small groups. On 6 November, the party struggled across snowstorms. They then reached the desolate Pitt River Valley, and they later arrived at Lassen's Ranch, which was not fordable. Swain finally made it to California on 6 January 1850, but he told his brother to not go and tell his friends to not come to California, as tens of thousands had died on the journey, and William sought to get enough gold for the both of them. He panned through dammed rivers in search of gold, and he grew disillusioned with the miners due to their lack of religious restraint; they frequented gambling halls, many of them became drinkers and cursed often, and they also enjoyed the company of prostitutes. Beaten in his quest, he decided to come home with his remaining $400, purchasing passage on a ship via Panama and arriving in New York City after a rough trip during which Swain fell ill from sea sickness while eating horrible food. His brother met him at New York Harbor and took him home, where his wife faithfully nursed him back to health. He died in Youngstown in 1904.